


If only they knew

by hello_there_darling



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Character Death, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hearts desire, It made me cry, Mirror of Erised
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-05
Updated: 2013-01-05
Packaged: 2017-11-23 18:30:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/625299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hello_there_darling/pseuds/hello_there_darling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>George visits the Mirror of Erised almost every night but never tells anybody what he sees. His friends think there is only one thing that could keep him going back night after night</p>
            </blockquote>





	If only they knew

Since the war George spent any free time he could in an abandoned class room in the dungeons of Hogwarts. The students of the school had long since grown used to seeing him walking around the corridors late at night or early in the morning before the sun had fully risen. The reason he spent so much time in the class room was due to the object it housed rather than the location itself. The object the held such importance to George was the Mirror of Erised, the one thing in the magical world that could show the viewer their hearts desire. It had taken him weeks to build up the courage to enter the room after he found out the mirror was still at Hogwarts and three more days until he actually looked in the mirror. It wasn’t the fear of not knowing what he would see that held him back. He was pretty sure he knew what he would see and that was the problem, he didn’t know if he was ready to see it or if he even wanted to.  
There were many rumours circulating between the students about what George saw when he looked in the mirror. These rumours ranged from the ridiculous ‘I heard he sees himself breeding hippogriff’s to race against each other’ to the slightly more realistic ‘Nah, I heard he wants to be the new front man for the Weird Sisters.’ George had to appreciate that last one, who wouldn’t want to be in the Weird Sisters? But what George actually saw in the mirror was much more personal which is why he prefers to keep it to himself for the time being, although many of his close friends guessed what he saw. There was only one thing it could be really. Only one thing that would keep him going back time after time but no one brought it up around him, no one wanted to be the one to push him over the edge after he was trying so hard to keep his balance. However he could only ignore the rumours for so long until he snapped, answering the next 3rd year that asked him what he saw with a simple  
“I see myself with two ears.” Pointing to his missing ear as he spoke. Seeming to be satisfied with that answer the 3rd year set off towards his common room to tell his friends what he had learned on his late night walk.  
Soon the story of what George saw spread through the school and eventually everyone had all but forgotten about his late night visits to the dungeons. Everyone seemed to assume that George had such a happy and fulfilling life that the only thing he desired was his missing ear and he was happy to let them keep thinking that as long as they left him alone. The story soon left the walls of the school though and then there was no way of denying it anymore. Whilst the students of Hogwarts, and everyone else who didn’t know George, happily accepted this version of what he saw his friends and family knew better. They knew that he didn’t see himself with both ears but his not long deceased identical twin brother who had been taken from him in the war. When Fred died a part of George did as well. George likes to think that the original story he told to the passing 3rd year is mostly true. The mirror does show something that was taken from him by the war and has left him broken, it’s just a much bigger thing than any of the students realise.  
Slowly the visits to the dungeons became less and less frequent as he realised his obsession was bordering on unhealthy. The only way he was going to be able to move on was to stop coming and realistically he knew that was what he had to do but it was easier said than done. After a year he had to admit that he had found the closure he was looking for when he first started to come here. With his mind made up the visits stopped completely, almost. He still visited twice a year. Once on their birthday and then half a year later on the anniversary of Fred’s death and he was okay with that, it was all he needed. He had his own life now and was slowly moving on. He knew he would never get over loosing such an important person in his life but he could learn to live without him. He would learn to live without him, it’s what Fred would have wanted and he had to respect that however hard it was to begin with.  
George would never be perfect without Fred by his side, but he would be okay.


End file.
